Statesman News Service
MALDA, 30 MARCH: The district industrial centre and horticulture departments jointly have undertaken the initiative to promote collection of honey and pollen from litchi orchards for the development of apiarists in Malda.
Today, officials of both departments held a meeting with the 60 litchi orchard owners and apiarists’ cooperative society members on this subject.
The horticulture officials requested the owners of litchi orchards to allow the bee keepers for setting up boxes of bees for collection of honey.
They have been asked not to use any chemical or substance in litchi orchards prove harmful to bees.
“We have requested the owners of litchi orchard not to use any pesticides during the period of full grown flowering in litchi trees”, said Mr Rahul Chakraborty, assistant director, horticulture in Malda.
“Besides collection of honey from litchi we have planed to collect pollens through bees on a scientific basis. At present, market rate of pollen, useful for medicinal purpose, is higher than honey”, Mr Chakraborty said.
The horticulture department has included such programme in its present annual action plan under the national horticulture mission for the development of apiarists in this district.
During the meeting it was also discussed that litchi owners sometimes had not allowed bee keepers in their orchards due to their lack of knowledge.
Apiarists’ cooperative members alleged that litchi farmers believe that bees hamper production of litchi.
The horticulture officials presented demonstration how bees help produce more litchi by pollination.
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